CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Franmil Reyes will miss 5-7 weeks with an internal oblique strain leaving a gaping hole in Cleveland's already inconsistent lineup.
Reyes was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday.
“We knew going in he was going to be an IL,” Indians manager Terry Francona said Sunday morning prior to the series finale with the Twins.
Reyes was hitting .257 with 11 home runs and 29 RBI in 40 games this season.
During the sixth inning of Saturday’s 5-3 10-inning win over Minnesota, Reyes winced in pain after fouling off a pitch. After a brief visit with trainers, Reyes left the game and Logan Allen was called upon to replace him and complete the at-bat.
The Indians also moved catcher Roberto Perez to the 60-day DL Sunday but the move was not an indication of any setback for Cleveland's gold glove catcher.
“That was just a paper move to get a roster spot,” Francona said.
Miller time – With Reyes placed on the injured list, infielder Owen Miller was called up from Triple-A Columbus.
Miller got off to a hot start at Triple-A batting .406 (26-for-64) with five doubles, one triple, two home runs and nine RBI in 16 games. He is currently second in the International League in hits, third in average, sixth in doubles (tied) and total bases (39) and ninth in on-base % and OPS.
“Watching him hit, he just knows how to hit,” Francona said. “He’s a little bit of a throwback. He uses the whole field; he stays inside the ball; he just has a knack for knowing how to hit. Its going to be fun to watch.
“I hope he gets off to a great start but however he does, he’s going to be a great hitter.”
Francona plans to be careful where he puts Miller defensively and it doesn't sound like a utility role is part of the plan.
“He’s played the majority of the last year and a half at second and third, so we’ll see,” Francona said. “There could be a situation where we’re able to get Jose [Ramirez] a day to DH or Cesar [Hernandez] or something like that to keep guys bats in the lineup. But I don’t want to heap too much on this kid either. When you first come to the major leagues the game is so much faster and I want to let him adjust to that too without putting too much on him.”
Miller made his Major League debut Sunday against the Twins where he struck out three times and went hitless in five plate appearances.
The Indians acquired Miller from San Diego last August for Mike Clevinger and he is the fourth player from that deal to be on the team’s active roster joining Austin Hedges, Josh Naylor and Cal Quantrill.
Good gate – The Indians, who are operating at 40% capacity at Progressive Field, sold a total of 32,984 tickets for the weekend series with the Twins.
The team will return to full capacity at the ballpark on June 2 in conjunction with the expiration of state health orders.
Notables – The Indians are now 10-4 this season in series finales. They fell to 20-3 when scoring 4 or more runs and they are now 16-5 when being out-hit by their opponent in 2021.
Up next – The Indians open a four-game series at Detroit Monday at 7:10; LHP Sam Hentges vs. RHP Spencer Turnbull